Chapter Text
Lena Luthor couldn't pinpoint the exact moment she started hating Supergirl. Similarly, she couldn't pinpoint when Supergirl had become such an arrogant egoist who cared little for humanity, only fame and glory.
Supergirl was one of Lena's first friends in National City. At the time, Supergirl was a field agent and Lena had just started working as a scientist at the DEO. Lena had been swept up in the newness and romance of it all, and they got married not long after they started dating.
Her brother, Lex, had been managing the DEO's latest experiment, code named the Supergirl Project. The project aimed to create and train a worthy candidate to become a mighty weapon to protect the city. Lena developed a serum to turn the ordinary field agent into a super-powered metahuman. Lex, worried word would get out that humans could become Superheroes, conjured the backstory that Supergirl was an alien from a planet called Krypton, and she was powered by Earth's yellow sun.
"Mankind is safe as long as I am watching over it. Hope, Help and Compassion for All!" Lena rolled her eyes as Supergirl's voice boomed from the television mounted on the wall. She had once tried to disconnect the obnoxious device, but it was mandatory all rooms had access to the latest information on Supergirl.
Lena couldn't pinpoint when, but she certainly could pinpoint who the catalyst was when it came to Supergirl's transformation. Sometimes Lena wished she could go back and keep Lex from turning Красная Дочь into Supergirl. Lena had her reservations about the serum, but between Lex and Supergirl's insistence, she had little choice but to give in to their demands. It was the first glimpse Lena had gotten into the power hungry being Supergirl would become.
Lex's poisonous ideas, and Supergirl's willingness to go along with them, had slowly morphed her into someone Lena barely knew anymore. Lena truly despised her association with Supergirl. To National City, Supergirl was still their darling Superhero. However, within the DEO's walls, her true colors came out. The desire to fight, to win, to have people worship her overshadowed everything else. Lena wondered if the serum had affected her psyche, or if those dark desires had always been there.
Lena concentrated on her work once again, knowing Supergirl wouldn't bother her after the press conference. They may be married, and National City's favorite couple, but like many in the DEO already knew, it was just for show. Lena and Supergirl barely saw each other anymore. She had fallen out of love a few years ago, but how does one divorce a God?
Her thoughts were disturbed when the lab doors slid open, revealing Lex on the other side. She heard Argo growl from his spot at her feet and she reached down to pet the puppy's head until he calmed down.
"You're needed for a public appearance at tonight's fundraiser as the doting wife. Think you can make it?"
"I have work to do, Lex. I'm not just here to cater to the whims of you and your 'Kryptonian'."
"Hmm, if you still want to play with your little gadgets using the DEO's money, you most certainly are."
Lena hated that Lex was right. She loved her work. She was developing innovative tools that could truly make a difference for people. As part of Lex's Project Supergirl cover, the DEO had formed LuthorCorp. As Lena developed more and more technology, the company was eventually transferred to her and rebranded as L-Corp. It was a shell of a company, most of its employees being DEO agents, but it allowed her to be able to make whatever research the DEO deemed safe for the public available on the market. It wasn't ideal, but Lena had infinite funds as long as she kept up the charade. She had asked Lex about the legality of the whole setup, but he shook his head and said it was all done properly. Lena didn't entirely believe him, but couldn't give up the opportunity to build life-saving technology over a technicality.
"Fine, but it better not take more than ten minutes."
Lex waved her off. "It won't, and then you can go back to whatever it is you're doing in here."
"Oh, and Supergirl wanted you to know she won't be coming home tonight."
Lena sighed. She, herself, had not been back to her penthouse in the past week anyway, having opted to sleep in the lab every night. "Tell her I don't care, Lex."
"Tell her yourself, I'm not your page boy."
"Well, you seem to be hers."
"You can't turn me into a well done steak with a single glare."
Lena smiled at the idea, "Oh, how I wish I could."
"Another touching family moment." Eve Teschmacher, holding a garment bag, had walked into the lab as Lena's eyes continued to burn into Lex. Argo sat up and growled again. Eve had been Lex's right-hand woman ever since the Supergirl project had formed. Lena wasn't sure if they were romantically involved and, to be honest with herself, she didn't want to know.
Eve placed her hand on Lex's arm. "You're needed downstairs, Lex."
Lena once again started to pet Argo before going back to work and ignoring the intruders.
"Lead the way. See you in a few hours, Lena. Oh, and here's your dress." Lex gestured for Eve to leave the garment bag on the table by the door.
Lena groaned. She hated Lex, she hated Supergirl, and she hated public appearances.
"Lex, I need to you find a double for me for that thing you have scheduled later." Supergirl walked up to Lex in his office and stood cross armed in front of his desk.
"That thing is a Gala supporting the National City Children's hospital. You have to make a speech, you can't expect me to find a convincing double that quickly."
"I don't care. Make it happen. I have plans."
"I already told Lena you weren't going to be home tonight. You couldn't have scheduled your 'plans' until after the Gala?" Lex leaned back in his chair, dropping the pen on the desk with a clatter.
"You seem to forget which one of us has powers here. Make it happen."
"Careful, Supergirl. I made you and I can break you just the same."
Supergirl rolled her eyes, "But if you break me, you can't remake me. We both know Lena destroyed the serum. Besides, Lexie boy, you wouldn't break your favorite toy. I know that's all I am to you. You're lucky I'm still having fun." She paused as she exited the room, "And come up with a better catchphrase. If I have to say that 'hope compassion' bullshit one more time, I will blow up the sun."
Kara Danvers was absolutely covered in puppies. Tiny, squeaky, squirming balls of fluff. She giggled as another one licked her face.
"Um, Kara, should you really be rolling around on the ground in a skirt?" Brainy commented, eyes fixed skyward, while Kara played with a rather rambunctious puppy.
Kara was currently dressed in her Supergirl costume, doing a quick publicity event that paid fairly well at the National City Humane Society.
"It's fine. I'm wearing spandex. Plus, I'm in the middle of sewing up a new suit to match Supergirl's new pants."
Another one of the workers, Kara's friend, Nia, walked in, "Okay, we're ready for you, Kara. Do you think we can get that little devil into a tiny Supergirl suit before we go out there? I think it'll really pump up the cuteness factor."
Kara squealed as she helped dress the floppy golden retriever. "I'll sew you some pants too, little one," Kara cooed at the puppy as she booped his wet nose.
They scooped up a few of the puppies, Kara holding the mini-me of herself, and carried them out to the festively-decorated parking lot. Nia, who was a few paces ahead of her with two pups of her own, beckoned Kara to the podium which was flanked by "Super Adoption Event!" signs on either side.
"Thank you all for coming to NC Humane Society's Super Adoption Event! We hope you can find the pet that is right for you. If you have any questions, the staff is around to answer them. Please considering bringing one of these little darlings home with you today! And remember, 'Hope, Help, and Compassion for All'!" She gestured to the banner above her 'Rescuing the City by uniting one pet and family at a time.'.
There was some scattered applause as she waved to the medium-sized crowd that had gathered. Kara stepped down and made her way around the group, greeting them and doing her best Supergirl impressions for the kids and the adults. The adults were not impressed, but the kids thought they were meeting the real Supergirl. Kara did find it odd that a man and a woman had come to the event wearing a suit and tie. They seemed to be more intrigued by her than the pets, but she figured if they were there, they must have some interest in adopting a dog or cat. Maybe a hamster. She worried that if they only had time to come to the event during their work lunch break, that maybe they didn't have time to take care of a dog either. A hamster was probably the best idea for them.
After a few hours, and quite a few adoptions, Kara, Brainy and Nia gathered around Kara's bicycle as she packed up to leave.
"Thanks again for doing this, Kara. I still can't believe how much you look like her."
Kara laughed, "I've sometimes wondered if we're related, but if we are, how come I never got any powers? It's a total bummer. Do you know how often I would fly somewhere to get good Chinese food?"
Nia and Brainy laughed, "As your friends, we would 100% take advantage of that."
Kara hopped onto her bike, still in a full Supergirl outfit, "Alright, I have to head to work. The news isn't going to report itself! See you guys, tomorrow!" Kara peddled away, dictating a quick reminder to her phone that she was scheduled to volunteer at the shelter the next day.
Kara barely heard Nia yell from behind her over the flapping of her cape, "You should probably change first!"
All Kara wanted to do when she got home was put on a pair of sweatpants, pour herself a glass of wine and watch movies. Between the Supergirl impersonation this morning and the intense interview for an article she was writing for CatCo Magazine, she was exhausted. She fumbled around in her bag for her keys, finally unlocking the door and practically fell inside. She vaguely noted that the door didn't make the click it usually did, but chalked it up to her tired brain.
She kicked off her shoes, dropped her bag and unceremoniously face planted directly onto her couch with a small, but satisfied, "Oof."
She laid there for a few blissful minutes until a very distinct throat clear sent her into instantaneous panic. She tried in vain to force her face further into the couch. "Please don't hurt me. Take whatever you want! I have money in the underwear drawer!"
The throat cleared again. Kara reluctantly looked up to find a large man and only somewhat smaller woman standing over her, both wearing 'DEO'-issued uniforms.
"What's DEO mean?"
"My name is J'onn J'onzz and my colleague is M'gann M'orzz. We're here because National City needs you."
Kara sat up fully. "Me? Why would they need me?"
"There's a charity benefit tonight. The DEO, the Department of Extra-normal Operations, works directly with Supergirl. She has to make an appearance and a short speech. We had agents watching you today. We think you can make a convincing Supergirl."
"So they didn't get a hamster?" Kara thought back to the two people in suits.
M'gann snorted, "No, I do not think they did."
"I don't get it, why do you need me? What's Supergirl doing tonight?"
"We, on occasion, hire doubles for her for these type of events. Crime doesn't stop simply because Supergirl is doing charity."
Kara nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense. In fact, people probably plan attacks when they see stuff like that going on."
"You would be protecting National City in your own way, if you agree to help us."
Kara jumped up and nodded, "Let me get my suit."
M'gann shook her head. "No need. We have one you can wear."
Kara's eyes widened. "Will it have pants?"
J'onn looked at Kara curiously, "Yes."
Kara jumped up and starting singing to no particular tune, "Pants! I get Pants, super pants. Pants, pants, pants. The only time pants are cool to wear is when you're in a Supersuit. Supersuit pants."
J'onn cleared his throat again. "Shall we?"
Kara grinned, "Yup. Oh, and can we keep the whole money in the undie drawer on the DL. I don't want anyone to find it."
M'gann softly laughed, "Your secret is safe with us."
Kara was a little nervous as she waited for her cue to step out on stage. She was kind of hoping she'd get a chance to meet Supergirl tonight, but luck was not on her side. She hopped up and down, really enjoying the fit of the supersuit. She wondered if this suit was the suit, but no one seemed to be paying too much attention to her besides J'onn, and he refused to answer her.
"You must be Kara Danvers."
Kara turned and found herself faced with the man and woman she had seen earlier in the day. "I'm Lex Luthor. There's a teleprompter to your right as you step up. Please do not deviate from the script. We'll have you out of here in ten minutes." He turned and walked away.
"Thank you?"
J'onn ushered Kara onto the stage. She immediately put on her Supergirl persona. She took a deep breath and read the first line and the words began to move.
Lena sipped her whiskey, counting down the seconds until she could leave the benefit. So far only a few reporters had come up to her, asking about L-Corp's latest invention, but luckily most other people had left her alone, including her wife.
She had yet to see the other woman, which was a blessing, if you asked her.
A commotion near the stage alerted Lena to Lex making his way backstage as a crowd began to form in front.
"I guess it's speech time." She turned back to the bartender, "Would you mind topping this off for me? Yup, to the top, almost there...thank you very much." She tossed a twenty dollar bill as a tip and joined the crowd as Supergirl walked out onto the stage.
Lena tuned most of the speech out, having heard it all before. The words changed, but the sentiment was the same.
"Too bad she doesn't believe this shit any more," She muttered under her breath as sipped more of the warming liquid, thankful for the familiar burn it offered.
Lena could tell the speech was coming to an end. Supergirl raised her fist in the air and shouted, "Stronger Together!" Lena raised her eyebrows.
"Well that was new." The rest of the crowd erupted, especially the reporters trying to get a sound bite from National City's Superhero.
"And that's my cue to leave. I should probably stop talking out loud to myself." Lena shook her head and downed her drink as she made her way back to the DEO and the sanctuary of her lab.
"It appears that Supergirl has finally met her match!" Lena glanced up at the television in her lab to see Supergirl fighting a massive seahorse. Argo snoozed comfortably, nestled up next to her on the couch. Lena was not quite so comfortable, since Argo had ignored both unoccupied couch cushions in favor of cramming into her third for optimum access for petting.
Lena put down her notebook, careful not to disturb her neighbor, as she saw Supergirl take a punch to the face, knocking her to the ground.
"This is not looking good, folks." Supergirl was now getting pummeled by the seahorse.
Lena got up to look closer at the scene, not understanding how the seahorse was hitting her, seeing as it had no appendages.
"She does not appear to be getting up. The alien seems to have fled to the sea, leaving National City unharmed. It appears that Supergirl is unconscious. Stay tuned."
Lena saw DEO agents rushing to tend to Supergirl, who was covered in rubble and a little bit of seaweed. She caught a quick glimpse of cape twisted awkwardly over a lifeless form before the cameras were turned away.
Kara hummed to herself as she looked out the windows of the black SUV J'onn was driving.
"That was fun."
"Hmm," J'onn replied noncommittally.
"Do you think Lex was mad about the 'Stronger Together' thing? I heard Supergirl say it once a few years ago. I always thought it was such a great saying."
J'onn took his eyes off the road momentarily to make eye contact in the rear view mirror with Kara, then wordlessly flicked them away.
"Oookay, I guess I'm carrying this conversation. I wish I could have met Lena Luthor, Supergirl's wife. I mean, how lucky is she? Married to a Superhero? And her scientific advancements have been extraordinary. I've reported on her work at L-Corp a few times. She's brilliant!"
Kara's rambling about Lena Luthor was interrupted when J'onn's phone rang. Kara couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, only see J'onn nodding along to something, stone-faced as usual.
J'onn hung up and locked eyes with Kara in the rear view mirror once more. "Hold on." With no further warning, the car spun around in the middle of the road, practically taking the turn on two wheels.
Kara pulled herself forward, poking her head over the front seat to gawk wide-eyed at the man who had just turned into the Transporter. "That was awesome. Can we do it again? Wait, where are we going? My apartment is that way." She pointed in the opposite direction they were traveling.
Kara didn't really understand why the bag over her head was necessary. She had a notoriously bad sense of direction, it's not like she could have told anyone where she was. The only person who would probably even look for her would be her sister, Alex. Maybe Brainy and Nia if she missed game night.
She was shoved unceremoniously onto a very comfy chair and the bag was taken off her head. She was greeted once again with the sight of Lex and the woman from earlier.
"Kara Danvers."
"The one and only. Well, maybe. I'm sure someone else has to be named Kara Danvers, right? There was a Carol Danvers I went to school with, but she ended up moving away when we were kids."
"Kara." Lex spoke firmly.
"Yes, that's me."
"We need your help, again."
"Oh, was it the 'Stronger Together' thing that sold you? I thought that really felt like it was the right thing to say - "
"No. We have a bit of an emergency. Supergirl has been injured."
"Oh, no, is she going to be alright?"
"I'll be honest with you, we don't know the extent of her injuries yet. We'd like you to pretend to be Supergirl until she makes a recovery."
"Oh, well I have a job and I volunteer - "
"It's all taken care of."
"Taken care of?" Kara jumped up from her seat, fists resting on her hips, "Did you get me fired?"
"No, nothing like that. We just made some calls and you have enough time stored up to take about a month's worth of vacation."
"Oh. Okay. I guess. What about my volunteer work?"
"We'll be sending over several DEO agents to cover for you."
"Oh, well that's great. You said a month?"
"Yes, at least until we know more about Supergirl's condition."
"And what exactly do you need me to do?"
"Attend press conferences, show up to crime scenes - "
"That sounds dangerous."
"Minimally. The DEO will handle everything. We only need you for appearances."
"But, why?"
"This city's safety relies on Supergirl being alive and well. And you need to show them that she is."
Kara nodded. "I guess I'm your girl, then?"
Lex smiled, "Follow me."
Kara found herself once again standing in the supersuit waiting to make a speech. She saw Lex and Eve, who had finally been introduced to her, over in the corner whispering about something. They all glanced over as Lena Luthor, still dressed for the benefit strolled in.
"Is it your god complex that kept you alive this time, Supergirl?" Lena sneered as she walked up to the nearby table and poured herself a drink.
Kara was unable to respond due to her jaw being on the floor. She knew Lena was gorgeous but she had never seen her up close. The raven haired woman wasn't just beautiful, she was mesmerizing.
"Did you lose the super hearing in the fight with a seahorse, was it?" Lena rolled her eyes and huffed when Kara still didn't respond. "Let's get this over with."
Kara was still a bit dumbfounded as Lex pushed her out onto, what she only then recognized was the balcony of L-Corp - a place where Supergirl had made many speeches before.
Lena's faced morphed into a forced smile as she grabbed Kara's hand and tugged her until they were side by side at the railing.
Clearing her throat, and trying her best to ignore that she was holding Lena Luthor's hand, Kara addressed the reporters. "Good evening, National City. I had a bit of a tough fight earlier, not sure if you all saw that." There were some chuckles from the reporters, as it was the only thing being reported on all night.
"But I'm as good as new, as you can see. Nothing a little sunshine can't fix," Kara grinned and she heard Lex's harsh whisper, "Say goodnight and get back in here."
Lena glanced over at Kara in confusion. Kara cleared her throat. "Thank you for coming!" Kara quickly dropped Lena's hand and ran back inside. Lena was a little slower to follow.
Kara stood near Lex. Unsure what to do with herself, she balled her hands at her hips into a pose she had seen Supergirl strike many times.
"Next time, stay dead, Supergirl. This city doesn't need you." Lena walked out of the room without looking back.
"Holy crap, she hates me," Kara visibly deflated, bending forward to rest her hands on her knees.
Lex clasped Kara on the shoulder, "No, she hates Supergirl."
"I thought they were happily married?"
"Nope, barely either of those. Anyway, let's lay down some ground rules."
Kara followed Lex out, peering down the hallway to see Lena pass through a set of doors.